The present invention relates to a holder and dispenser for spools, tube-shaped devices, and cylindrical devices with recessed ends that firmly and securely holds and stabilizes the spool, tube-shaped device with various cross-section configurations, or cylindrical devices with recessed ends attached thereto and a process of manufacturing the holder and dispenser; but more particularly, this invention is directed to holders and dispensers for spools, tube-shaped surgical devices, and cylindrical devices with recessed ends, especially holders and dispensers for surgical sutures with a needle attached thereto, which needles are visible and readily accessible.
The prior art includes numerous methods of packaging sutures for use in a surgical procedure. A few examples of suture packaging devices includes Brown et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,831), which discloses a molded suture container for retaining and dispensing absorbable and non-absorbable surgical sutures; Brown et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,821), which discloses a folded paper or plastic surgical suture retaining package device that delivers surgical sutures, which are wound in an hourglass configuration, in a controlled and tangle-free manner; Cerwin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,062), which discloses a suture coil in an inexpensive paper or plastic dispenser with a rigid winding fixture; and Gemma et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,905), which discloses sutures wound in a figure eight configuration in a plastic snap-lock suture container. Recent innovations in suture dispensers include cylindrical spools, containing fixed length, pre-knotted surgical sutures, which allow faster, easier and more secure endoscopic suturing. As an example, these dispensers may be used in various laparoscopic procedures such as a cholecystectomy or splenectomy, in which having a pre-tied knot is desirable.
Presently, armed suture spools, which is to say spools of sutures with a surgical suture needle attached thereto, come packaged in a sterilized blister, pouch or bag. When sutures are needed in a surgical procedure, an armed suture spool is placed into a sterile area from which it can be grabbed and used as needed. However, the spool itself is unstable and can roll freely. Moreover, grabbing the needle may be awkward as the needle must first be located and then picked up from the surgical area. Therefore, a need exists for a cylindrical spool holder that is stable, that facilitates grabbing a suture needle, and that quickly and easily dispenses sutures.
The present invention features an innovative device for holding and dispensing spools, tube-shaped devices with various cross-section configurations, and cylindrical devices with recessed ends, and, more particularly, spools containing armed surgical sutures and, furthermore, a method of manufacturing the device. The holder and dispenser disclosed in the instant invention confines a spool, tube-shaped device, or cylindrical device with recessed ends between a pair of tabs, stabilizing the spool, tube-shaped device, or cylindrical device with recessed ends and, further, preventing it from rolling freely. Furthermore, the holder and dispenser disclosed herein retains a surgical suture needle in a location where it can be readily seen and easily grabbed. The instant invention, moreover, allows the spools, tube-shaped devices and cylindrical devices with recessed ends to be sterilized and packaged without requiring major modifications in the packaging materials or processes that are presently used in packaging the spools, tube-shaped devices and cylindrical devices with recessed ends alone.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for holding spools, tube-shaped devices, and cylindrical devices with recessed ends that stabilize the spool, tube-shaped device or cylindrical device with recessed ends contained thereon, preventing it from rolling.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for holding armed surgical sutures spools, tube-shaped devices or cylindrical devices with recessed ends that holds a surgical suture needle so it is visible and can be accessed easily.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a simple means of manufacturing the holding and dispensing device for spools, tube-shaped devices or cylindrical devices.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a means of packaging the new device without requiring major modifications in the packaging materials or processes that are presently used for packaging the spools, tube-shaped devices and cylindrical devices with recessed ends alone.
The present invention attains the foregoing and additional objects by retaining a spool, tube-shaped device or cylindrical device with recessed ends in a folded blank device, which secures the spool, tube-shaped device or cylindrical device with recessed ends between a pair of tabs, minimizing translation in a lateral or longitudinal direction; and, furthermore, which safely secures the tip of a surgical suture needle where it is visible and can be accessed easily. Moreover, the present invention allows one to package the new device without requiring major changes to the packaging process that was performed on the spools, tube-shaped devices or cylindrical devices by themselves.